This thesis focuses on the Korean games in the popular South Korean series “Squid Game”. Due to the immense popularity of Korean dramas, which can be attributed to the Korean Wave, the series reached a record number of views in the first week after its release. In the series, 456 individuals decide to participate in a game tournament to win a grand prize of 35 million euros (= 45.6 billion ₩), unaware that all but the winner will lose their lives. Nine episodes take the viewer through familiar children's games such as marbles and tug-of-war, as well as traditional Korean games such as “ddakji”, “Red light, Green light”, “Ppopgi”, and the game after which the series itself is named, “Squid game”. Each game is unique and universal, but what all the games have in common is that they take the viewer back to their time of childhood innocence. The history of the games is difficult to trace, as they are mainly passed down by word of mouth, from generation to generation, yet the origins of Korean games can be found in records dating back three thousand years. The games chosen for the “Squid Game” series are firmly linked to the character of the South Korean people and their way of life. The thesis describes the rules of each game presented, as well as the historical background of each game, its role in the series, and the cultural and social significance of the game itself, focusing on the variations of each game in other parts of the world.
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